LIVE: Final - USC 45, Tulane 46
The No. 10 USC Trojans (11-2) are looking for their first bowl win since the 2016 season as they take on the No. 16 Tulane Green Wave (11-2) in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
WeAreSC Cotton Bowl Coverage
Before the game, take a look back at some of the WeAreSC coverage heading into this Cotton Bowl.
There are standouts everywhere on the field in this one, but five key matchups stand to be a little more important than the rest.
One of those has to do with the health of USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who spent the month recovering from a hamstring injury suffered against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. USC head coach Lincoln Riley said Sunday that Williams is ready to play against Tulane.
That wasn’t news to Tulane coaches and players, who prepared for Williams all along.
The offensive line in front of Williams won’t feature starting center Brett Neilon or guard Andrew Vorhees. Down those two starters, both All-Americans, the USC offensive line needs a great performance from the players who take the field.
On the other side of the ball, the USC defense will need to shake off the issues that led to 47 points scored by Utah in the conference championship game. That group is looking for a strong finish to the 2022 season. But they’ll get a strong test from Tulane and running back Tyjae Spears. One aspect USC’s defense excelled at all season was creating takeaways. Both USC and Tulane coaches and players talked this week about how important the turnover battle would be in this one.
And here’s a quick look at the Tulane Green Wave, featuring all the important names and numbers to note.
USC Cotton Bowl Attire
USC will honor former assistant coach Dave Nichol and former Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach with helmet decals today.
Cotton Bowl Warmups
* There’s a Gary Bryant Jr. sighting during warmups. The third-year wide receiver played in just three games and caught two passes for 15 yards before deciding to use his redshirt season. Bryant continued to practice with the Trojans and was a standout member of the scout team. But he did not suit up for a game over the second-half of the season. It’ll be interesting to watch if he sees the field in this one. USC will need receivers to step up with Jordan Addison not available today.
* Based on early position warmups, it looks like USC’s starting offensive line will feature Courtland Ford at left tackle and Bobby Haskins at right tackle. Justin Dedich takes over for Brett Neilon at center, with Gino Quinones at left guard and Jonah Monheim at right guard.
* Wide receiver Michael Jackson III is dressed and warming up. He did not participate in the Pac-12 Championship Game due to an injury. It’s another positive development for USC at the wide receiver position. Jackson caught a touchdown against Utah after Addison went down with an injury. And he caught five passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Cal with Addison sidelined.
First Quarter
* USC quarterback Caleb Williams finds wide receiver Michael Jackson III for a nine-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening possession. It’s 7-0 USC with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter. That’s a 17-play drive for USC. The Trojans were 3-for-4 on third down and 1-for-1 on fourth down.
* Williams appeared to injure multiple fingers on his left hand during that drive. He’s in the injury tent getting looked at by team trainers.
* USC forces a Tulane punt on the first drive of the game for the Green Wave. The Trojans will have the ball at their own five-yard line with 2:46 remaining in the first quarter.
Second Quarter
* Williams throws his second touchdown pass of the game. This one goes for three yards to Terrell Bynum. It’s 14-0 USC with 12:33 remaining in the first half.
* USC has 185 total yards on its two drives so far. The Trojans are 7-for-8 on third downs.
* Tulane uses a long run from quarterback Michael Pratt and takes advantage of more poor USC tackling to cap off a drive with a three-yard touchdown by Tyjae Spears. Tulane cuts USC’s lead to 14-7 with 9:30 left in the first half.
* Caleb Williams is intercepted by Jarius Monroe. It’s interception No. 5 by Williams this season.
* On the second play of the drive, Pratt finds Jha’Quan Jackson for an 87-yard touchdown. Tulane ties the game at 14 with 5:42 left in the first half.
* USC true freshman running back takes advantage of a huge hole up the middle created by the Trojans’ offensive line for a 39-yard touchdown. USC goes up 21-14 with 2:21 remaining in the first half.
* Williams throws his third touchdown pass of the game, finding Brenden Rice for a four-yard score. It’s 28-14 USC with 12 seconds left in the half.
* Williams is the first USC quarterback to throw 40 touchdown passes in a season.
Third Quarter
* Tulane opens the third quarter with a 47-yard run by Spears. And he caps the drive off with his second touchdown run of the game. This one covers seven yards. It’s 28-21 USC with 11:55 remaining in the third quarter.
* Tulane drives but the USC defense forces a field goal with help from a sack by Solomon Tuliaupupu. Tulane cuts the USC lead to 28-24 with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter.
* Williams connects again with Rice for a score. The play goes for 19 yards as Rice makes a nice grab on the sideline and extends the ball over the goal line. It’s 35-24 USC with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter.
* Rice has six receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
* Williams has 384 yards passing and four touchdowns.
* Spears scores his third touchdown of the game on the ground. He’s up to 152 yards rushing against a USC defense that cannot tackle him. It’s 35-30 as USC stops the two-point conversion attempt.
Fourth Quarter
* Williams throws his fifth touchdown pass of the game, setting a new Cotton Bowl record. This one goes for four yards to Kyron Hudson. USC pushes its lead to 42-30 with 12:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.
* USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon makes the first huge play of the game for the USC defense, knocking the ball out of the hands of Spears. Solomon Byrd recovers the fumble and the Trojans have the ball at their own 28-yard line with 10:46 remaining.
* The Trojans can’t get into the endzone, but USC does take 6:16 off the clock on a field goal drive. It’s 45-30 USC with 4:30 left in the game. Williams is up to 460 passing yards.
* Tulane carves the USC defense up yet again. The Green Wave go 63 yards in two plays and Spears scores his fourth touchdown of the game on a four-yard run. It’s 45-37 with 4:07 remaining.
* Mario Williams muffs the kickoff out of bounds at the 1-yard line and Tulane forces a safety two plays later. It’s 45-39 USC but Tulane will have the ball and a chance to take the lead with 3:20 remaining.
* And Tulane completes the comeback as Michael Pratt hits Alex Bauman for a score with eight seconds remaining. The Green Wave take their first lead of the game, 46-45 and USC will need a miracle in the final eight seconds to win this one.
* And the game ends as a multi-lateral attempt from USC fails.
